My daughter is expecting and is concerned about being successful at nursing with
inverted nipples. I would appreciate any advice as well as anything she might do
throughout her pregnancy to reverse the situation.
Thanks in advance

When my daughter was born, I tried to nurse her for nearly
three days without luck before I finally got the help I needed
from a lactation consultant at CPMC. As it turned out, I had
inverted nipples, but I didn't know it, and the well-
intentioned nurses didn't pick it up either. But once the
lactation consultant came in (just as I was about to give up on
nursing!), she immediately pulled out a nipple shield, and it
worked beautifully. My tiny girl started nursing immediately,
and we never looked back.

There are a few different sizes, and the consultant tried three
before we found the right fit. After leaving the hospital, I
found replacements at BabiesRUs. I always tried to keep at
least two on hand because my daughter would not nurse without
them. I tried on occasion to wean her off, but she never did.
I managed to nurse her exclusively for six months all the while
using a nipple shield. No problems ever. So - just make sure
she asks for a nipple shield right away if she has problems
getting started with nursing, and it should do the trick.
Grateful for the nipple shield

I had inverted nipples, and it was a bit harder getting started,
but with some work it's totally doable. Sign up with a lactation
consultant ahead of time, or a midwife with great lactation
skills (that's what we had). And plan to see that person at least
a few times in the first two weeks after the baby is born. That's
when you set your milk supply for the rest of breastfeeding, so
it's important to get a good start.
My nipples are no longer at all inverted, all that sucking pulled
them out.
Also, there's great advice boards on the La Leche League website.
anon
I had 1 flat nipple before giving birth to my first child a
couple years back. The lactation consultant at ABMC recommended
a nipple shield on that side to provide a better latching
point, which I only used for maybe 2-3 weeks total. In
addition, she
recommended pumping to continue pulling the nipple out. I don't
know if there's anything that helps during pregnancy.
It did initially feel like it made nursing more difficult
because there was less for my baby to latch on to, but after he
could pull more of the areola into his mouth it was OK--the
problem was the initial pinching as he tried to get his grip.
But after nursing him for a year, both nipples are much
larger and it wasn't a problem at all with my 2nd child, so
the continued stimulation of constant breastfeeding definitely
immproved things quickly. Hopefully the same will happen to
your daughter.
Good luck!
I would not be concerned. I have one inverted nipple and I was worried too. I asked my
doctor about it and he said it would be fine. He was right. The breast with the inverted
nipple was just as easy to nurse with as the other one -and my son nursed that side
just the same as he did the other!
maren Van Duyn
moderator: this is a changed email
I would not be concerned. I have one inverted nipple and I was worried too. I asked my
doctor about it and he said it would be fine- he was right. The breast with the inverted
nipple was just as easy to nurse as the other one -and my son nursed that side
as easily as he did the other!
anon
Both my nipples were inverted when I had my first daughter. It
made latching on more difficult and I remember calling in a
lactation consultant, but we persevered. Eventually one nipple
''popped'' out and became my daughters' exclusive nursing nipple.
The one breast produced plenty of milk, but what I should have
done was pumped A LOT on the other breast, to keep it producing
and to perhaps get the other nipple to come out eventually. But I
was tired & gave up, and for the duration of 2 kids and 3+ years
of nursing, I was very very lopsided, nursing only off one
breast. Oh well. Now I am a case study that shows long term
nursing does cause a little more wear and tear on the breast --
the milking breast is slightly less perky than the one they
wouldn't nurse on, even 7 years later. But I'm not complaining,
nor are my daughters. Good luck, and do consider a lactation
consultant.
sarah
First of all, Congratulations!

I was in the same boat. Even though I could not make it work
for my kids, I read many materials and talked to several
consultant. A good start place is the La Leche League
(LLLI.org). You can search for qualified consultants in your
area and the service is totally free. They provide phone
consultant and home visit.

There are several things your daughter can do during her
pregnancy (if it is not in late preganancy). I heard there is
a thing called ''nipplett'' from Avent, which can be wore during
pregnancy and that will help pull the nipples out. You can
check it out at
http://www.motheringfromtheheart.com/nipletteinfo.htm. I wish
I knew it before I had my babies.

She can also try breastshell for flat/inverted nipples, also
from Avent. BabiesRUs has that.

There are a lot of website discussing about this topic, but
might be overwhelming, esp. for 1st time moms. Please let her
know, even if she cannot nurse her baby, it is NOT the end of
the world, at all. As long as she has milk, she can always
pump it out and her baby will still be fed with mommy's milk.
I did that for both of my kids, of course had hard time to
accept that when that was for my first born. The good thing to
pump it out is that other people can help feed the baby and
mommy can have more time to rest. The most important thing is
to have a healthy baby, it comes secondary in terms how the
baby is fed, breastfed, bottle fed with breast milk, or bottle
fed with formula.

Enjoy the journey in the (grand)parenthood!

I had an inverted nipple and wore ''soft shells'' over my nipple
for months before delivering, which helped a bit pull the nipple
out. My baby had a little trouble breastfeeding at first at that
nipple and found the Medela breast shields really invaluable the
first weeks in helping baby latch.
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breastfeeding-devices/337/16mm-nipple-shield
anon
Hi there-
There is hope for your daughter! Be sure that she meets with a
(free) lactation consultant at the hospital soon after giving
birth. They can help her with nursing, and also recommend a
nipple shield if needed for her inverted nipples.

Often, the nipples will actually ''right'' themselves after giving
birth because sometimes your body just knows what it has to do.
If not, a nipple shield can be used to help give the baby
something to latch on to, as well as draw the nipple out.
Pumping also helps with this - sometimes you can start by
pumping a little bit to draw the nipple out so that the baby has
something to latch on to.

Most importantly, let her know not to give up! Nursing is NOT
EASY at first... and especially takes dedication when dealing
with a challenge (on top of the usual challenge of getting the
whole nursing thing down in the first place!)
Good luck.. she can do it, especially since she has your support
:)
seacue

About a week into nursing, my inverted nipple was no longer
inverted. As long as the little one can latch (even an imperfect
latch!), it will all be fine. La Leche League is a great resource
if there are troubles, but it's nothing to worry about!
Former-Invert
There is a product out called ''Niplette'' I believe that can
help with inverted nipples. It provides a small amount of
suction to help slowly stretch the tissue that is holding the
nipples inverted. If she can, she should see a lactation
consultant, and ask about it ASAP as I understand it takes a
couple of months of wearing it intermittently to work. Also
wearing breast shells may help some. Good luck and congrats on
the new baby!
a pediatrician